Jacopo de Pazzi

Jacopo de Pazzi (1421-1480) was a Florentine noble who was the head of the House of Pazzi and the Pazzi Conspiracy of the 1470s. He was also a member of the Knights Templar.

Biography
Pazzi was an affluent nobleman from Florence who was the head of the House of Pazzi and their banking operations, and he had a strong rivalry with the House of Medici, as they stole the fame and money that the Pazzis coveted. He was promised revenge by the Knights Templar, who in return wanted a political and economic asset such as Jacopo and the Pazzis.

In 1478 Jacopo, his nephew Francesco de Pazzi, and his grand-nephew Vieri de Pazzi met with Rodrigo Borgia in San Gimignano, and they discussed plans to bring down the Medicis. In April of that year the Pazzi/Templar organization killed Giuliano de Medici but failed to kill Medici leader Lorenzo de Medici, who survived due to the intervention of Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Ezio had killed Vieri earlier, and proceeded to slay Francesco as he fled from the botched assassination. The remaining collaborators fled to Tuscany, and all of the collaborators aside from Jacopo were killed and interrogated by Ezio on the whereabouts of Jacopo. Ezio found out that Jacopo would meet with other Templars at a Church, and anxious to add more names to his hit list, Ezio tailed him.

Death
Jacopo was followed to the outer limits of the castle, outside of the walls of San Gimignano. He headed to a meeting with Rodrigo Borgia and Emilio Barbarigo, a Spanish businessman and Venetian dictator, respectively, and a maddened Rodrigo ran him through. A wounded Jacopo pleaded for mercy, but Barbarigo continued to attack him. A merciful Ezio, who had evaded being captured, put him out of his misery with his sword.